Bullying

Bullying is when someone or a group of people try to intentionally hurt you or a group of people physically (on the outside) or emotionally (on the inside/your feelings).

There is a difference between something happening accidentally – like somebody bumping into you in the corridor, and bullying – when someone bumps into you on purpose and keeps doing it. It is likely that everyone will face some form of bullying throughout their lives whether as children, young people or adults. It’s important to speak to somebody if you’re being bullied.

Types of Bullying

There are lots of different types of bullying.

Verbal Bullying

This can be anything from name calling, spreading horrible rumours or threatening you.

Physical Bullying

This is when a bully hurts you by kicking, punching, pushing, biting or tripping you over on purpose. It is a criminal offence to physically hurt anyone on purpose.

Indirect Bullying

This is when a bully will ignore you on purpose or starts spreading hurtful rumours about you.

Cyber/Online Bullying

This type of bullying takes place on the internet, on our phones or through apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram and more. This is when a bully or bullies will use technology to post horrible comments, send threatening or upsetting messages, make prank calls, spread rumours or give out your personal information. This can be VERY DANGEROUS and you should always speak to somebody if this is happening/happened to you.

If you are being bullied

Nobody has the right to make you feel bad about yourself – and they can be stopped. The first thing to do is to talk to someone you trust, like a friend, parent, teacher or social worker. Telling someone you trust is the first step.